Chapter II: Confession

"Inkopolis is wondering what's else is being done about Dr. Shokushu and his hostile takeover of Octaria with his army of ink clones. Marie, do you have anything you haven't released to the public yet?" Pearl asks in a serious tone, her wide smile the opposite of her seriousness. Marie and I are now sitting again and her answer is in a stern and commanding tone. "As you already know from previous statements, we've been spending our time bolstering Inkopolis' defenses and developing new technology to help counter this army of ink clones. I see no reason for the invasion of Octaria because although it's sad to lose the homeland of the octarians, we don't currently have the means to fight a limitless opponent." We haven't told them about the shadow operations and we agreed that they don't need to know. She gestures to the others around her with a smile as she continues. "As I also stated before, we've spent the other half of that time evacuating trapped octarians from hostile territory and helping integrate them into Inkopolis society," I grunt inwardly at the comment, doing my best to avoid looking amused or out of character. Both our societies revolve around battle... "As for new announcements? We have a...prototype...that we've been developing that might make direct operations in Octaria viable. Sheldon?" she states, the group turning to look at him as he pulls out his squidphone with relish. Wait, we're telling the public about that? I thought that was a secret-

Sheldon starts to key in commands with practised fingers, eventually pointing the squidphone at the widescreen TV on the wall and pressing a button to transfer information. The image on screen changes from the logo for Inkopolis News to the blueprint of our upcoming project, Sheldon pressing another button on his squidphone to activate a laser pointer. "So this is the Splatoon Quad User Independent Droid or SQUID for short. The current design is a bipedal, ceramic armoured chassis with shoulder and back mounted weapon pods." As he explains, he points his laser pointer at specific parts of the design to emphasize. "These designs are something my grandfather had made prototypes of after the Great Turf War as a means to prevent loss of life. He never finished them and I never had the drive to complete his work since the plans were outdated and that war was a century ago." He gestures with a hand towards the monitor before continuing. "Now, at the behest of the O.L.S., I've finished his designs and added some of my own work to the chassis." He points the laser at the mechanical arms, the right arm now composed of an enlarged M.I.G.S. design and the left arm ending in a mechanical hand. We decommissioned the Hero Plate armour because of my test run...it nearly fried my brain with the feedback...

"And who's piloting this...droid...and how can you afford to make this?" Marina asks while looking at the designs in confusion. Sheldon chuckles in good humour before rubbing his hands together. "That's the beauty of it! Anyone can pilot it because the controls are extremely simple to use! It can even be used remotely on something as simple as a squidphone with the right app!" His confidence diminishes slightly as he continues with less surety. "Though...I haven't fully tested the design since it's still in the build phase..." Sheldon presses more buttons on his squidphone to move the image to the bottom of the blueprint where the design name and his name are written. Beneath that is the estimated price tag, everyone in the room surprised at the high cost. 150 million cash!? When did we agree to this!? Pearl is the first to react with a blurted response that mirrored our surprise. "150 million cash!? How did you even get that much!? I know you're a successful ink gun merchant but this-"

Sheldon smiles confidently again as he chuckles and responds. "I definitely couldn't afford this and even with the O.L.S. backing me, we'd fall well short of proper funding. I reached out to Inkopolis to help cover the cost and some of my grandfather's old colleagues along with our scientific bodies were willing to fund most of the project so long as I provide them with thorough test data. I guess you can say we believe that this technology might become a common sight in the future." I cough slightly in amusement, everyone looking at me in irritation before I apologize quickly for my outburst. A common sight? Not at that cost... Pearl quickly interjects with just as much surprise, her face smiling but only just. "So you want to have killer...droids running around the city!?"

Sheldon grins in embarrassment and waves his hands in front of him in denial while blurting a response. "No no no! This prototype may be a weapon system right now but it can serve in other regards too! Plans are already being designed to adapt the chassis to other tasks like exploration and construction! Imagine us finally being able to explore underneath water without personal risk!" Ambitious and dangerous...right up our alley... Marina clears her throat and the room looks at her before she continues.

"Well, tell us when you start testing your project and we'll be around to report it. For now, let's move on."

The questions and answers pass in a blur as my entire life in compacted into a ten-minute span. Most of the questions are directed at Marie, the leader of Inkopolis, but some of them hit pretty close to home for me. Do you still hate the octolings? I'm having a child with one so no. What's it like being in a relationship with the leader of Inkopolis? The same as before except for her increased confidence in leading. What do you plan to do once you've captured Dr. Shokushu? Demand an explanation and see if he'll surrender.

Marina eventually asks me a question near the end of the span that takes me completely off guard. "You've been singing and dancing on stage during Splatfest opening events for the past two years. Do you ever plan on making your own songs and dances?" she asks casually but with a curious tone. Marie and Callie look at me with grins of expectation as I look around in confusion, everyone else having the same expectant face. "I...haven't put thought into that...I'm more comfortable performing what others have already perfected...I'm not so good making my own content-"

As I'm looking around the room, I see Sheldon rapidly typing into his squidphone with a smile. "Uh...Sheldon, what are you doing?" I ask him gently in an attempt to change the subject, his smile widening as he finishes his typing and points his squidphone at the widescreen again. A button press not only changes the scene on the TV screen but on all the images in the room. A digital copy of myself in casual attire with cyan hair tentacles is sitting in a lounge chair with a smile, Scurry immediately telling me to check outside. I do as instructed, heading to the glass window and looking outside with a face mirrors my confusions as I see the same image in the studio on most of the major screens outside. The image is on all of the video billboards. How-

"Hey, squids. It's me, Kosh," I hear my copy say from inside the room, the sound repeated outside of the room. I'm so transfixed by the outside view that I don't notice hair tentacles latching onto my body until they yank me backwards, a grunt of surprise escaping me as I'm lifted off the ground and placed in Flurry's lap to watch the inside TV. I look up to see her she smiling before she gestures with a hand for me to watch the widescreen, my head turning gently towards the screen as my copy continues. "I have a lot of titles. CK, MB, so on, so on. Listen, I don't have a lot of time so I'm just gonna say it." Music starts to play in the background as my copy stands up dramatically and lowers his head with a smile, the chair behind him fading away as my own face moves from confusion to shock. Sheldon...you didn't...

But he did. The guitar music, the brisk tempo, and even my tenor inkling voice are what I wanted it to be if I ever made this project real. Sheldon had made it real.

I still don't know-what-you see in meee~
I'm not-the-one I used to beee~
No-matter what you say I am~
I'll-never be the one you need~

Maybe I'm just being cautious~
Not-wanting to break your heart~
Or-maybe I'm just being selfish~
Unwilling to play my part~

The pace picks up as it moves into the chorus, the voice of my copy raising in volume as he shouts the lines with rapid movements.

But-please don't cry for-me, my dear!~
Please don't cry cause-I'll be there!~
Even if I'm not that perfect!~
I'll be there to dry your tears!~

So-please don't cry at-all, my dear!~
I-just cant stand to-see you cry!~
Just-tell-me what I-need to do!~
And I'll be-right there by your side!~

There's a brief pause as the scene changes, the guitarist in the background playing a descending solo as my copy's head lowers again and closes his eyes. The spotlight turns off as another spotlight turns on in the background, a collective gasp sounding in the room as Scurry with her own set of casual clothes enters the light at a slide. I look at Scurry in the room with confusion and by the look of confusion on her face, she wasn't in on this. Any conversation we might have started halts when the copy starts to sing.

Stop be-in so indecisive~
Just-hurry up and make your choice~
Cause-we aren't getting any younger~
Just tell-me what you waaant~

Cause I've chosen for you so-many-times~
And it is getting irritating~
So hurry up and decide something~
Or maybe I'll just walk awaay~

The Scurry copy repeats the chorus as well, her singing voice clear and precise as she shouts the lines. Scurry can't hold a note like that...and doesn't want to practice...

But-please don't cry for-me, my dear!~
Please don't cry cause-I'll be there!~
Even if I'm not that perfect!~
I'll be there to dry your tears!~

So-please don't cry at-all, my dear!~
I-just cant stand to-see you cry!~
Just-tell-me what I-need to do!~
And I'll be-right there by your side!~

The room is deadly silent as the project plays, even our movements still as we watch. The Scurry copy also lowers her head as well before the spotlight dies, my copy's spotlight turning on as he sings the next lines sadly with head held high.

Please don't-gooo! I-didn't mean to-be this waay!~

The other spotlight turns on, Scurry singing in a similar manner.

Please don't-gooo! I-didn't mean to-drive you a-way!~

Both voices join together as the copy's turn towards each other and walk gently forwards with hands outreached, the spotlights following their progress until they join one hand to the other.

Please don't-gooo! Cause I-don't-know what makes you feel right!~
But even if we-aren't that perfect why can't we just be together!?~

Both copy's sing hit high notes while turning to the audience, slowly descending in pitch and repeating the pattern three times until the music slows further to a sombre ending tune. My copy starts to whisper the last few lines to himself, his head low in sadness as the Scurry copy leaves the spotlight.

So-please don't cry for-me, my dear...~
Please don't cry cause-I'll be there...~
Even if I'm not that perfect...~
I'll be there to dry your tears...~

The final line has Scurry rejoin the spotlight with a gentle hug from behind, both copies joining to say the final lyrics.

But-please don't cry for-me, my dear...~
Cause I'll be there to-say I love you...~
So don't worry about-being perfect...~
Please just tell-me what-I can do...~

The copy's finish with a gentle hug as the crowd outside bursts into a cheer, the noise travelling through the glass window as my brow raised in surprise at the response. The room once again turns their eyes on me as I smile awkwardly. "I...may have been...experimenting with some lyrics...but that was not my doing..." I stutter while pointing at the widescreen now displaying the Inkopolis news logo again. Sheldon interjects to pull me out of this mess. "I call it a pass-time. I needed time away from research and development so I spent some time making this-"

Marina is quick to retort, looking at me as she does. "You have to perform that at this coming Splatfest!" she blurts excitedly but my hands move up in surrender as I blurt a response of my own. "Whoa, whoa! I didn't even make that! That's Sheldon's work and I don't think Scurry would agree to this! I just learned about this today and Splatfest is in two weeks!"

"Already making a new poll!" Callie interjects from her seat on my left, her fingers tapping furiously on her squidphone screen to update an active poll. "What's that song called?" she asks me as she stops typing for a second, my shoulders shrugging as Sheldon answers. "Life For Us..." he mumbles loud enough for Callie to hear as she resumes typing, my head turning to look at Sheldon with slight remorse and a sigh. I turn back to look at Scurry to gauge her opinion but find that she isn't in her seat or anywhere in the room. "Uh...where did Scurry-" I start to say before my squidphone vibrates in my left pocket, my left hand bringing it out and opening a new text from her. Meet me at home? Uh oh... I quickly turn back to Pearl and Marina and ask, "Do we have any other questions that you need me to answer?"

"We're done with the broadcast. We just need to end it right," Marina states with a grin while rising from her seat, Pearl smiling broadly and doing the same as the others around me rise out of their seats. Well...it's their show after all. With a grim smile, we all move to the centre of the room as the couches and desk roll away on their own, each of us mirroring Pearl and Marina as they take their signature ending pose.

"Don't get cooked! Stay off the hook!"

"How could you lie to me about that!?" Scurry shouts at me from the opposite couch, her face a mask of outrage and her arms across her chest. Flurry pats me a few times on the head to comfort me and I raise my fingers with a confused look before answering. "First of all, not my idea. I was just bantering with Sheldon as we worked on the SQUID. I had no input on what he did with that banter. Second, this is the first time I've seen that project so how can I lie about something that I didn't even know about? And lastly, there's a high chance that the entire project is a one-time thing so I don't see-"

One of Flurry's hair tentacles gently moves over my mouth as another shows me her squidphone. A low growl escapes me when I see the poll, my anger rising slightly before I can stamp it out. The songs already popular...Inkopolis already changed their vote...Life for Us is now the first act of Splatfest... The urge to bite the hair tentacle in front of me nearly overpowers me but Flurry moves it away from my mouth, another tentacle trying to rub my head before I shake her off. My eyes turn back to Scurry as I growl at her. "Well...more bad news. It looks like we don't have a choice because Callie put up the poll and Inkopolis wants us to perform the song-"

Scurry shouts in rage and springs from her seat, picking up the table in front of her with both hands and throwing it at us like a wooden projectile. My hair tentacles surge forward subconsciously to absorb the momentum of the object, the table stopping gently in the air before I put it back in its place. Flurry is already moving her tentacles around me defensively with a growl of outrage before I tap her on the right shoulder with my left hand, the tentacles around me loosening as she slowly calms down. "If it's this much of a problem, I'll tell the squids of Inkopolis personally that we can't perform the song. We agree with this?" I say calmly but Scurry doesn't answer, her fists shaking slightly before she storms out of the living room.

"How dare she try to harm you after-" Flurry starts to say before I put one of my hair tentacle over her mouth, smiling to myself at hushing her. "You splatted me, remember? Squids wanting to splat me is common so let me talk to her...alone," I whisper gently as I try to move but she protests instead, her tentacles wrapping around me tighter and causing me to groan in frustration. I love her and all but she's far too overprotective. "Flurry...nothing is going to happen to me and even if something does, it's not like I won't respawn. Now...let go please..." I say in a calm yet stern tone, the tentacles around me moving off slowly and reluctantly as I spring out of my seat. To my left, Callie and Marie are looking at me with a mixture of concern and amusement, causing me to smile and shake my head as I move down the hallway towards our room.

This is the first time Flurry has seen one of Scurry's tantrums...

When I reach the door to our room, the lock is engaged and I roll my eyes as I raise a foot. Well...guess we're needing another door and lock again. The foot slams into the door handle, punching the metal clear through the door with a loud crack of wood before my hand sarcastically pushes the door gently open. I kneel down to pick up the debris with my hair tentacles, moving the sundered lock and cracked wooden pieces to the side to avoid others stepping on it before I examine the room.

Scurry is sitting with her knees close to her chest in the chair at the far end of the room, her face in her knees even after the noise of the door broken open. With a sigh, I cross the room slowly and plop down in the chair on the opposite side of the table, sitting and waiting patiently for her to ask her first question like every other time this has happened. Her emotions have become so erratic. After a few minutes, she finally asks her question. "I lost control...didn't I..."

"Yeah...again...nobody was hurt though...like every other time..." I whisper but Scurry looks up at me suddenly and with hostility. "That doesn't make it acceptable! I can't control my own emotions! I'm becoming a danger to everyone around me!" she shouts at me with angry tears, my head lowering slightly in shame before looking up in frustration. I won't let myself get sad now! I have to help her first! "Scurry...we haven't talked about what's been going on lately so...do you have any idea why this is happening?" I ask gently but her angry face snarls at me as she leaps across the table from her seat.

I do nothing to stop the leap, my face sad slam me out of my seat and onto the ground. As she leaps on top of me, one hand moves to hold the front of my neck while the other hand moves back into a fist, the fist vibrating as she looks at me with wild eyes. All I can do is stare into her eyes. "Do what you need to do..." I say glumly as her face enrages further and she brings her fist around, the blow slamming my head to the left as I feel ink enter my mouth from my teeth biting down on my cheek. I don't even mind the pain...all squids are used to pain...

My head turns back groggily and Scurry's face changes from anger to shock, her left hand releasing my throat as she stutters. "Zapfish...I didn't mean to! I'll...let me get you up!" She quickly gets off me and picks me up under my arms, my head slightly fuzzy from the whiplash as she throws me onto her back and carries me to bed. I feel tossed onto the bed before her hand opens my mouth, her tongue moving into it to lick the wound. A grunt escapes me at the suddenness of the move but the wound closes and she tries to move as far away as she can. My left-hand latches onto her wrist and I pull her back, her other hand trying to dislodge my grip as I pull her towards me. "Okay...I likely deserved that-"

"You didn't deserve that! You don't deserve any of how I've been treating you! Now let go!" she shouts but I don't reply, a solid yank pulling her on top of me. My hair tentacles wrap around her as she tries to struggle free, a sad sigh escaping me as I tell her to stop struggling. "GET OFF ME!" she shouts into my face as my sigh becomes an angry growl, my voice shouting her name instead. She stops struggling immediately, tears starting to form in her eyes as she shouts at me. "What do I even give you anymore!? What do I bring to this relationship that you can't already get from the others!?"

I suppress a sigh as I wait patiently for her rant to start and she doesn't disappoint, shouting at me with tears running down her face. "Flurry is part Kraken! Marie is the leader of Inkopolis! Callie's an idol! What do I even offer now!?" Something about this situation angers me because my hands move forward to seize Scurry's head, shaking it a few times to get her attention as she stops crying momentarily. "Listen to me," I growl at her, not releasing my hands from her head and not caring if I'm scaring her or not. "I'm not in relationships with any of you because of what you have to offer. I don't think like that and I never will. You know and I know that was never the reason." My hands move her face closer to mine, my arms resisting her attempts to move my hands away as I bring her face to face with me. "I'm doing this because you need me. You're my sister and you're the only family I have left. I'm not about to just let us drift apart because of something so stupid. This is the last time we're having this talk. Understand?"

Her face moves to a grim smile as she leans in closer, my hands releasing her head as she whispers to me threateningly. "You're not being honest. There's something you aren't telling me-"

"You want to know!? FINE!" I shout back at her while moving her away from me with a shove, Scurry now sitting on me as my face becomes a mask of anger. "I'm scared! I'm scared that we're drifting apart and I CAN'T STOP IT! No matter what I do! No matter what I try! No matter what I give you! I don't know how to convince you to stay!" Angry tears form in my eyes as I look away from her, sadness quickly replacing the anger as I move my right hand over my face to hide. "Please...please don't leave me again...I...I need you here with me..." I sob as I close my eyes, my hair tentacles releasing her and falling to the bed as I break down. I can't look at her as I keep stuttering. "But...but I can't make you stay...and I can't convince you to stay...I feel so helpless-"

Scurry moves the hand from my face, smiling gently as she moves my hand to her back and pulls me closer. I'm about to sob further when she starts rubbing my head with her other hand, my hair tentacles responding by latching onto her desperately. I take a deep breath to calm myself down but it does no good, my eyes screwing shut as I sob uncontrollably in her arms. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to-" I start to whisper through my sobs but Scurry covers my mouth gently with a hair tentacle and my eyes open to see her gentle smile. "Enough of that...I won't bring this up again...let's put it behind us now..."

She moves me to my side and holds me close to her chest, my face still wet with tears as I start to feel exhaustion sweep in. I try to fight off the need to sleep but Scurry rubbing my hair causes the urge to become irresistible. My eyes close slowly as I hear her start to whisper something, my mind starting to drift into sleep even as it realizes what she's whispering.

Please don't-gooo...cause I don't know what makes you feel right...~
Even if we aren't that perfect...why can't we just be together?...~